Steam locomotive



NOV. 25, 1952 LlEBL 2,619,043

STEAM LOCOMOTIVE Filed May 12, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. fiat/n3 J. Zz'ebl Nov. 25, 1952 F. LIEBL STEAM LOCOMOTIYE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 12. 1949 INVENTOR. fig J. LzeZ Nov. 25, 1952 F. LIEBL 2,619,043

STEAM LOCOMOTIVE Filed May 12, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 EN TOR. Z kl Nov. 25, 1952 F. LIEBL STEAM LOCOMOTIVE 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed May. 12, 1949 ANN INVENTOR. Frm Ziffil NOV. 25, 1952 HEEL 2,619,043

STEAM LOCOMOTIVE Filed May 12, 1949 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTOR. Han] 1:656

Patented Nov. 25, 1952 STEAM LOCOMOTIVE Franz J. Liebl, Bad Weilbach, near Wiesbaden, Germany Application May 12, 1949, Serial No. 92,887

Claims. (01. 105-33) This invention relates to new and useful improvements in steam locomotives.

Steam locomotives are principally of two kinds. In the first, the driving mechanism is of the conventional steam cylinder and piston type. In the second, the drivin mechanism is of the conventional steam turbine type. Steam cylinder and piston driven locomotives operate quite efflciently at lower speeds. They operate, however, less efficiently within higher speed ranges by reason of various factors including relative complexity and relatively large mass of component parts, as well as other limiting factors inherent in steam cylinder and piston type engines, as is well understood in the art. On the other hand, steam turbine driven locotives operate most efficiently within higher speed ranges by reason of the fact that steam turbines as such require a relatively high R. P. M. in order to satisfactorily and efficiently function. It is then necessary for steam turbine driven locomotives to include relatively complex, heavy and expensive reduction gearing to enable the same to operate satisfactorily at lower speeds such as for starting or for yard and switching operations.

One object of the instant invention comprises an improved driving construction permitting the combination of the advantages of steam turbine and steam engine piston type drives.

The invention will be more fully understood, and further objects thereof will appear, from the following description read in conjunction with the drawings in which:

Figs. 1a, 1b, 1c and 1d collectively represent a cross sectional side view with portions cut away of an arrangement showing a substantially complete locomotive under-carriage provided with a construction in accordance with the invention, in the plane I-I of the diagrammatic representation shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 2 represents a front view of part of the construction shown in Fig. 10 with portions thereof in cross section; and

Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic top view illustration of the principal elements of the structure, a cross sectional side view portion of which is illutsrated in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, a frame 33 carries the conventional steam cylinder piston type drive arrangement (Figs. 1b and 1c) such as the steam and 8c. The steam turbine 3 (Fig. 1a) is preferably centrally mounted on the lead truck 3a and is drivingly connected by way of a conventional gear train in housing 9 to the turbine drive shaft I0, supported in bearings 3| and 31a secured to the frame by way of the supports 32 and 32a. V

Conical gear 33 (Fig. 1b) covered by housing 33a meshes with the plate gear 34 to form a conventional bevel gear drive for the set of locomotive drive wheels l2, gear 34 being secured to the axle 35 of the drive wheels. A conical gear 36 covered by gear housing 31 co-acts with gear 34 to form a bevel gear to drive the drive shaft Illa secured to conical gear 36 and supported in the bearings 3Ib, 3lc and 3ld respectively secured to the sides of frame 30 (Figs. 1b, 1c and 1d) by the supports 32b, 32c and 32d. Aconical gear 38 (Fig. 1d) is secured to the end of the shaft Illa and covered by gear housing 39. Con-7 ical gear 38 meshes with plate gear 40 to form a bevel gear drive for the set of driving wheels lZa, the gear 40 being secured to the axle 4| of the set of wheels I 2a.

Specifically referring to Figs. 1c and 2, a small two cylinder steam engine I3 is mounted onto the frame 30. It is a conventional type reversible steam engine, having the cylinders I 4 and I411, pistons l5 and l5a carrying piston rods I6 and Ilia. Connection rods I62) and IE0 are secured in the usual manner to crankshaft I8 extending to both sides of the steam engine I3 and being supported in the bearing blocks l1 and Na. Crankshaft l8 carries at each end a worm meshing with the worm gears 20 and 20a re;

spectively within gear housings 42 and 42a. One"v such worm I9 meshing with worm gear ZUJi'S shown onFig. 2.

The driving wheel-sets 8 and 8a are mounted.-

in the conventional manner with the axles 4.3

and 43a in wheel hubs 44 and 44a mounted in inner threads 49 and 49a on the spindles 2:1 and 2m provided with the outer threads 50 and.

58a engaging respectively the threads 49 and 49a.

' Spindles 2| and 2m carry at their lower ends" blocks by way of the wedges 52 and 52a remov-I ably secured in wedge recesses 48 and 48a.

In the practical operation of the invention,"

Bearing blocks and 45 a locomotive provided with my improved driving arrangement will normally use the steam engine cylinder-piston drive when starting, in switchin operations, in yard work, or when otherwise operating at a relatively low speed, i. e., a speed preferably below about 45 to 50 miles. In this case, the wheel sets 8 and 8a act as the drivin wheels in the conventional manner. In that event, no steam'is supplied to the turbine, and the turbine drive shafts i8 and Mia turn idle with the motion of the wheel sets i2 and 12a (Figs. 1b and 1d). At higher speeds, and particularly speeds above 45 to 50 miles per hour, the steam supply is switched from the steam engine cylinder I to the turbine 3, thereby dri.v.

ing the sets of driving wheels i2 and l2a by way of the drive shafts l and .ita (Figs. 141,112, 10 and 1d) and the plate gears 35 (Fig. 1b) and plate gear 40 (Fig. 1d) of the bevel gear drives for the driving wheel sets [2 and in respectively. Switching.v of the steam supply from thest'eam cylinder I to. the steam turbine 3' may be. accomplished from. the engine cab in any conventional manner such as by Way of a lever or key controlling, for instance, a three-way steam, conduit in the conventional manner.

Once the locomotive is steam turbine. driven, the set of steam cranking engines 53, at each sidejof' the locomotive frame 39 (Fig. 3) is set in operation. ,This is accomplished by admittifigsjteam.tcthe cylinders It and lid of each of the. auxiliaries IS in. the conventional manner tolftliefiby rotatethe crankshaft l8 and the worms carried at the ends thereof within hous in'g's' 42. and 42a. The worms, such as worm l9 ilFigl' 27. drive the worm gears 28 and 20a, which inturn engage with their inner threads 49. and 49a the outer threads and 59a of the substantially non-turning spindles. 2i and 2Ia in a manner to pull the same upwardly. The upward movement of thespindles 2| will cause th'e'bearing blocksv 4.5 and 45a of each of the sets offdrivin'g wheels 8 and 8a to be moved upwardly, thereby lifting the entire wheel assembly 0f the. sets of driving wheels 8 and 8a off the tracks. 'If desired, a suitable cut-out may be provided to automatically stop further cranking of the cranking auxiliary 53 after the sets of driving wheels 8 and 8a have been effectively lifted from contact with the tracks. Once this result. has been accomplished, the relatively appreciable resistance caused by the motion of the various power transmission components of thesteam. engine cylinder piston drive is eliminjated and the locomotiv isnow drivenentirely under turbine power actingv on the sets. of drive wheels [2 and [2a respectively.

When reversing the procedure, and the speed of the locomotive-is dropped below thedesirable rangefor efficient. turbine operation. as, for examplapbelow 45 to. 50 miles per hour, the auxiliary .crank. unit is is again actuated, but this time to. operate. in. a reverse cranking direction. It. is well understood in. the artv that crankshaft rotation of a steam engine in one or the other direction may be accomplished by the shifting oithe .point of entry of the steam from. the space next to the piston head to the space next to the. piston base. The. operation or actuation of the cranking auxiliary l3 for either directional cranking. thereof may be controlled from the locomotive cab by suitable lever or key or other conventional means for valving steam into the cylinders. for entry at one or the other side of thepiston or. for shutting off the steam supply to the auxiliary unit. When then actuating the auxiliary cranking unit [3 for downward cranking, shaft IS will now turn in a direction opposite to that controlled by the previously described lifting operation of the auxiliary unit. Consequently, the worms carried at the ends of crankshaft I8 turn the worm gears 20 and 28a in the opposite direction, thereby causing spindles 2i and 2m to be screwed downwardly, thus lowering the assemblies of the drive wheels 8 and 8a until they are again brought into firm contact with the tracks. The steam to the turbine isshut off and switched to the steam engine cylinders I, whereupon the locomotive once more is driven as a conventional steam engine cylind'er piston type vehicle.

When switching from turbine drive to engine cylinder piston drive, or reversing this operation, the/actuation of the two drives may be successive, with the one taken out of operation before the other is actuated, or the switching operation may be carried on in a manner permit.- ting a certain. overlap to the extent that, for a short period, both drives are operating before one of them is cut out.

In order to minimiz the magnitude of the lifting force required for the lifting of the wheel sets 8 and 8a and their assemblies, it is preferred to select a relatively shallow pitch for threads 49 and 49a within worm gears 20 and Ella, andfor threads 50 and 53a on spindles 2i and Zia. This would also serve to maintain the sets of drive wheels 8 and ea in substantially fixed position once they are cranked up, 'pre* venting them from reversing the screwing operation of the spindles 2i and Zia as the result of the gravity pullv exerted on these spindles by the relatively heavy wheels and wheel assemblies of these drive wheels. I prefer a pitch of thread in this connection of not exceeding 6, being preferably shallower than 6. It is, of course, readily understood that any other conventional locking means or device may be used to maintain the sets of drive wheels 8 and 8a and their respective wheel assemblies at the desired level of suspension out of contact of the drive wheel rims with the tracks.

Though only two sets of drive wheels have been shown in the illustrative embodiment of my invention as herein described, one pair of sets for the turbine drive and one pair of sets for the steam engine cylinder piston drive, it is readily apparent that any number or sets of additional driving wheels, within the scope of conventional practices, may be used. Insofar as the lifting of the steam engine cylinder pistondrive wheel sets is concerned, any number of additional wheel sets maybe lifted by the same. cranking device as disclosed in, for instance, Fig. 1c, orv additional. such cranking units may be provided for.

For the purpose of effectively liftingv the driving wheels, I prefer to mount the cranking mechanism such as the worm gear and spindle arrangement substantially fixedly secured to the frame 3% as, for example, by way of the shelf 53. The lifting or cranking engines l3 are preferably supplied with steam in the conventional manner so as to approximately synchronize the lifting ofv the set of driving wheels on each side of the locomotive.

As will be thus apparent from the foregoing, the improved driving mechanism for locomotives in accordance with the broad aspects of the invention. thus. essentially comprises a first set of multiple pairs of driving wheels, a second set of multiple pairs of driving wheels, piston type steam engine means drivingly connected to said first set of driving wheels, turbine type steam engine means drivingly connected to said second set of driving wheels, and means to substantially control motive fluid supply to each engine, and preferably including means to shift supply of motive fluid from one to the other of said engines. Within the broad scope of the preferred embodiment of the invention, there are additionally provided means for lifting the first set of driving wheels and preferably by lifting means including cranking means for lifting and lowering the wheels of the first set of driving wheels, and reversibly operable piston type steam engine means drivingly connected to said cranking means.

I claim:

1. In driving mechanism for locomotives having a first set of multiple pairs of driving wheels, a second set of multiple pairs of drivin wheels, piston type steam engine means drivingly connected to said first set of driving wheels, turbine type steam engine means drivingly connected to said second set of driving Wheels, means to substantially control motive fiuid supply to each engine and including means to shift supply of motive fluid from one to the other of said engines, and means for lifting said first set of driving wheels.

2. Improvement according to claim 1 in which said lifting means include cranking means for lifting and lowering the wheels of said first set of driving wheels, and reversibly operable piston type steam engine means drivingly connected to said cranking means.

3. Improvement according to claim 2 in which said cranking means include a separate cranking device for each wheel operatively connected to secure the lifting and. lowering thereof, in which said lifting steam engine means include at least one such means for each tandem series of first set of wheels and in which at least two successive wheels in each said tandem series are drivingly connected to said lifting engine by a substantially common drive shaft.

4. Improvement according to claim 3 in which each said cranking device includes a substantially downwardly extending crank spindle substantial- 1y secured at its lower end to the bearing block of its wheel and having a threaded portion at its upper end, and a driven gear having a substantially downwardly extending threaded bore and mounted in substantially stationary position relative to substantially axial movement thereof for screw engagement of said threaded bore with the threaded spindle portion, and in which said drive shaft carries a driving gear positioned to mesh with the said driven gear of each said cranking device.

5. Improvement according to claim 4 in which said driven gear is a worm gear, and in which said driving gear is a worm carried by said drive shaft.

FRANZ J. LIEBL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 832,586 Bothwell Oct. 9, 1906 882,618 Bothwell Mar. 24, 1908 1,773,118 Rasmussen Aug. 19, 1930 2,016,626 Constantinesco Oct. 8, 1935 2,172,234 Young Sept. 5, 1939 

